Joe Long

Around 2009 when he was 11 or 12 years old, Long's father's business partner took Joe and his Dad to the driving range and it all started there. Joe fell in love with golf and kept going back and eventually started getting lessons there. About a year after he started hitting balls he was able to join the Lansdown Golf Club, which is situated three miles from the town of Bath which is just outside of Bristol. Lansdown is a parkland course designed by Harry Colt. It's been the home for Joe ever since. Did consider going to college in the U.S. when he was 19, but had been out of school for two years and wasn't sure about his eligibility for four years.
Has been to America twice, when he was around 13, went to Florida, and then to San Diego San Francisco, and Las Vegas. But this wasn't to play golf it was just a holiday. Around 2007 his good friend Laurie Canter introduced him to some of his friends in South Africa and said it would be great to get down there and compete during England's winter months. He loved the place and played quite well for the first time being away from home. South African has become a second home for him, he has a South African girlfriend, Tash, so he spends his winters there training and enjoying the sunshine.
In the last couple of years, he has played in tournaments both in England and South Africa. In February of 2019 was T-25th in the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship. A week later made it to match play at the South African Amateur Championship and lost in the quarterfinals to Wilco Nienaber, who won the tournament. A week after that was T-11th at the South African Stroke Play Championship. In the summer of 2019 was T-3rd in the European Amateur, held in Austria. He was six shots back of winner Matthias Schmid. Got his first taste of playing in the British Amateur in the summer of 2019, but shot 72-76 and didn't make it out of stroke play. Also gained more experience playing in the Walton Heath Trophy, English Men's Amateur, and Scottish Men's Open Championship where he finished T-7th.
In 2020 got to play in Chile in the Abierto Sudamericano Amateur, finished T-8th. Went to South Africa and shot a final-round 66 to finish T-4th, five shots back of winner Martin Vorster. The following week was T-7th at the South African Stroke Play Championship and the week after that again made it to match play at the South African Amateur and again lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual winner Casey Jarvis. The following week ended his play in South Africa with a 12th finish in the Cape Province Open.
Playing in England during the summer of 2020, he was T-8th at the Tillman Trophy. In the English Men's Amateur Championship held at Woodhall Spa, made it out of stroke play and lost to Sam Done in the quarterfinals in 23 holes. In the English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship was 9th, five shots back of winner David Ravetto.
That brings us up to the 125th British Amateur Championship, which was held at Royal Birkdale. He made it out of stroke play shooting 74 (76 qualified for match play). On his way to the finals, Josh Hill took him to the 18th hole before Long won. In the semifinals, he also had a tough time but won over Jake Bolton 2 & 1. Recorded a 4&3 victory in the championship match against his good friend Joe Harvey. It was the first British Amateur final featuring two Englishman in 21 years. Long was ranked 103rd on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and became the 51st English winner of the Amateur. Long never trailed in the match.
The win opened up a lot of doors. He got to play in the Joburg Open and Alfred Dunhill Championship on the European Tour, missing the cut. He also made the Walker Cup team, which will play in May in Florida. He will play in the Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open before turning pro. Since he is still an amateur and has no source of income, a member at Lansdown had an idea to set up a JustGiving page, along with help from his county Gloucestershire and English Golf Union will raise the 3,000 pounds ($4,100) to play in those events.
In February he played in the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship, finishing 88th. He missed the cut at the Masters, Memorial, and U.S. Open. Long was selected for the 2021 Walker Cup but only played in the final-day singles session due to "gastrointestinal issues" that impacted both teams. He won his match against John Pak on the 18th hole. Joe has said all along that he stayed amateur to play in the Masters, Walker Cup, U.S. Open, and Open Championship and will probably turn professional after his week at Royal St. George's.